Biography

Brenda D. Taylor is an inspirational speaker, a writer, an educator, an entrepreneur, a survivor and an advocate. Formerly a public and private sector educational leader, Brenda also has a professional background in corporate sales that spans several industries - including manufacturing, security and education.  She firmly believes that education is the catalyst for change and that  relational capacity is the medium for growth.

Growing up in the roughest neighborhoods of Chicago and battling a troubled home life, Brenda learned early on how to be resilient, steadfast and persistent in the face of adversity. From kindergarten through 8th grade, she attended Richard E. Byrd Community Academy in the Chicago Public School District and received an academic scholarship to attend Providence St. Mel High School, from which she graduated, already a teen mom,  at age 17. If you asked her, she would tell you that the most important job she has ever had, has been to be the mother to her two children.

Brenda earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale and a M.A. Educational Leadership from Governors State University. She is a certified secondary science teacher and K-12 district administrator with a special interest in areas of STEM/STEAM and ensuring positive post-secondary outcomes for all students. 

Beauty for Ashes, Brenda’s memoir was published by her company - Liberated Expression - to tell her story of survival.  Brenda has also published  - The Big Surprise - a children’s book that she wrote when she was 9 years old. Additionally, Brenda has been featured in You Can't Be What You Can't See written by Milbrey McLaughlin with the foreword by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan and afterword by Greg Darnieder former Senior Advisor at the Department of Education. Brenda has been interviewed by and featured in a number of television/radio shows and magazines including Vanity Fair - Italy. 

Brenda enjoys genuine connections with genuine people and believes in the power of vulnerability. In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, writing, reading and enjoying nature.